The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1887-11-12

In those years the hills between here
and Leadville were infested by the
worse gang ofstage robbers that were
ever known in this region. 1t was
not that they were any worse than
other gangs, but they were under
leadership of man whose devilish
cunning was such that it seemed
impossible to corner him or even to
find out exactly who he was. He
tried it on once too often, however,
and when his identity was made
known after his death it turned the
whole city Of Denver upside down
for a week. There was at that time
a b usiness house Laramie street,
where all the miners went to get
their supplies. The head oft was
one of our most enterprising citizens
and generally respected and looked
up to. His name was Amos v.
Townsend. 1t has been reported
that some Of the stage robbers had
been heard to call their leader Amos
but no one ever dreamt of connect
ing the famous desperate and the
respected merchant together. One
night just before the stage was to
leave Denver / was taken aside by
a friend and was told to take partic-
ular care, as one of my passengers
was going to Leadville to purchase
some mining properties and had a
small fortune in his belt. The would
be mine owner was pointed out to
me. He was a young fellow with a
quiet, determined appearance, who
seemed well able to take care ofhim-
self. Besides him there was only
one inside passenger, whom l took
TO be tenderfoot from his nervous
manner and the absence of any
weapons about him. The two ex-
press guards and myself were the
only ones outside. AS we were driv-
ing down Laramie street I happen
ed to see Mr.. Townsend standing
near the store, and l saw him nod
to some one inside but L took it to
be passing farewell to the young
man who was going to buy the
mines. l had not much to say to
my passengers, and 1 took them to
be about as unsociable a lot as I
had ever carried. Each seemed to
attend strictly to his own business,
and it was only at long intervals
that l heard their voices as they
talked to each other.
"On the evening of the second day
we had got well into the mountains,
and when we drove up to Banks
Station, where we took supper and
changed horses, l began to think
we would get through safely. Both
passengers got out to eat, and no.
ticed that the manner of the young
man / had ranked as a tenderfoot
was even more nervous than it had
been when we left Denver, and 1
sized him up as being unfit for the
country into which he was going.
We stayed at the station about
half an hour, and then 1 saw my
two passengers safely inside and
climbed on my box. Just as 1 was
gathering up the lines old Banks
came out and told me he had seen a
man drive by with a led horse just
before dark, and 1 had better be
careful not to run over him. At
this 1 saw my tenderfoot stick his
head out of the window, but he
quickly pulled it in again, and I
drove on.
Gust as daylight was beginning
to appear over the top Of the noun
tains ! drove up to the first station
before reaching Leadville, and dis
mounted from the box with sigh
of relief, as l felt that now all dam
ger was over. But when put my
head into the stage door to arouse
my passengers | drew back with a
yell of surprise and horror. In the
dim light could plainly see that
there was only man inside, and
from his strange position l knew
something was wrong. When l
threw open the door l found the
only occupant of the stage was the
man who was going to buy the
mines. He was stone dead and
cold. His throat had been cut
from ear to ear. There was no
doubt that my tenderfoot was the
murderer, and after killing his fel-
low traveller and securing his belt
with the money, he had crawled
through the rear window of the
stage and dropped off into the road.
He had evidently taken the journey
with the sole purpose of committing
the murder and taking the plunder.
When we carried the dead man into
the station we found Capt. Rawlins
of the Denver mounted police force,